Are Drag Shows to Women what Black Face Minstrel Shows Are To African Americans?
Forrest Gump looks on as Governor George Wallace stands in the school house door to oppose desegregation in education.
Have you ever noticed how nonprofits are like the Forrest Gump of business organizations? Nonprofits show up at almost every pivotal event or controversy in history, just like Forrest Gump. Nonprofits are right in the thick of things, for example, opposing efforts to demonize LGBTQ people. We have all acknowledged that nonprofit organizations are vital participants, competitors even, in the goals and strategies of a democratic society. In the ideal, nonprofits lend vibrancy and legitimacy to the sometimes messy democratic competitions in a a pluralistic society. They force issues and clarify positions.
In Amarillo, the nonprofit Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) filed a slam dunk complaint in federal court after the President of West Texas A&M University, another nonprofit, admitted that the First Amendment prohibits him from banning a campus drag show (to benefit yet another nonprofit) but he was banning it anyway. I am not making this up. He said the law of the land prohibits his censorship, but too bad. At least he’s getting good legal advice from his General Counsel, even if he is ignoring it. Are we a nation of laws, or a nation of scaredy cats terrified by woke and men wearing pumps? Sheeesh! Here is FIRE’s Brief in Support of its Motion for TRO and Preliminary Injunction. But something the President said about drag shows and black face caught my attention:
West Texas A&M University will not host a drag show on campus. It was advertised for March 31, 2023, as an effort to raise money for The Trevor Project. The nonprofit organization focuses on suicide prevention—a noble cause—in the LGBTQ community. Any person considering self-harm for any reason is tragic.
. . . . .
West Texas endeavors to treat all people equally. Drag shows are derisive, divisive and demoralizing misogyny, no matter the stated intent. Such conduct runs counter to the purpose of WT. A person or group should not attempt to elevate itself or a cause by mocking another person or group. As a university president, I would not support “blackface” performances on our campus, even if told the performance is a form of free speech or intended as humor. It is wrong. I do not support any show, performance or artistic expression which denigrates others—in this case, women—for any reason. WT intends to provide fair opportunities to all based on academic performance. Ideas, not ideology, are the coin of our realm. A university campus, charged by the state of Texas to treat each individual fairly, should elevate students based on achievement and capability, performance in a word, without regard to group membership—an implacable and exacting standard based on educational mission and service to all, sanctioned by the legislature, the governor and numerous elected and appointed officials.
To date, opponents of drag shows have implied that the shows were pornographic and thus not protected by the First Amendment. Even if the only standard is “we know it when we see it,” drag shows are not that. I have never been to a live event, but I’ve seen RuPaul on TV. Now it turns out that drag shows are as offensive to women as black face minstrel shows are to African Americans. Funny thing is, the President could probably deny a student group access to facilities for a black face minstrel show, but he can’t ban a drag queen show. Trust me, context is everything.
darryll jones